I have to say I disagree about RvW v Hooper v Quags. I suspect that RvW, at least at first, will be first name on the team sheet. However, I accept that there are other positions where it's not so clear cut at the moment - e.g. Johnson/Howson/Tettey alongside Fer (though the indication is that Tettey is currently at the back of that queue), Garrido/Olsson and potentiall even Martin/Whittaker, but I expect us to have a clearer idea of who is the more likely candidate to start by mid-September. I should clarify Robbie - I don't disagree with the concept and I agree that this is something that clubs are aiming at, but what I am saying is that, inevitable, it is virtually impossible to get to that position because to have 22 players all of equal ability in their respective positions would not only be astounding, but also extremely expensive. I think the closest any team has genuinely got to not being sure who is the first name on the team sheet in recent memory was the David de Gea v Anders Lindegaard in the 2011-12 season, but even then it rapidly became clear who is first choice.
When the question is 'What is a Squad Player?' it's pretty inevitable that analysis is going to follow, TM. I think that both the question and the answers it has yielded have been an interesting read and certainly have encouraged me to think more deeply on the issue.
@Canary Rob I was going to post that your comment "Blurred lines ...." was entirely appropriate in the sense that reality for almost every club falls well short of the ideal. But I think keeping the ideal in mind helps alter one's perspective on issues such as team selection, squad make-up and transfer activity. Re. our own strikers, too early to make any judgement IMO. Definitely still hoping we get Quagliarella, and I agree with Rick that Becchio has more to him than people currently seem prepared to acknowledge.
Absolutely. Settled by prescriptive definition. "Squad player" = def "member of a PL football club's 25-man squad". Now use it as supers says everybody!
Ian Holloway got fined an obscene amount of money when Blackpool were in the top flight - for fielding a team in a cup match made up of his 25 man "squad". This was because they had a crucial league game very soon afterwards for which he wanted as many of his first "team" fit and ready to go for that. So, there you go. If you're a first-teamer, you're an asset - if you're a squad player, you're just an expensive liability. So say the English F.A.
holloway actually played a weakened side in the league - villa away i think - and almost won (lost late on). absolutely disgraceful that blackpool were fined, especially as manchester united also played a fringe team the previous week and nothing was done about it.
Agreed, but it does throw a few cats among the pigeons when taken within the context of this thread. Why force managers to name a squad of 25 - and then fine them for tapping into that 'squad'? It's not as if he fielded an ineligible player
Agree I would play Redmond. He's young and he probably will have a fairly patchy season because of that, so why not play him when he seems in pretty good form?
that's what i'm saying really - its farcical. who are the fa to decide who any clubs best eleven is? its down to the manager 100%
I think you'll find it was the Premier League who stamped down on Blackpool. Doesn't alter the point though. The FA appear to take a different view because they have never, as far as I can remember, taken action against top clubs fielding teams largely made up of Under-21 players in the FA Cup.
I thought the Blackpool thing was they played a 'second IX' in a league game against Man Utd on the sunday because they wanted to keep their 'First IX' fresh for Villa in midweek? I may be wrong, but i'm sure it was 2 league games rather than cup and league.
Holloway played a weakened team midweek against Villa with an eye to the Saturday fixture against West Ham which he clearly was targeting. His explanation was that it was in response to having to play four games in quick succession. However, since then the "weakened team" rule has been revised and teams can indeed be composed of any selection from the designated 25-man PL squad. So there is no a longer an inconsistency and the notion of a weak selection from among the 25-man squad doesn't apply.
Can you please give me examples of squad players in different teams? Thanks. Swansea city is a squad team, They are all first team players chosen to play on who the opposition is. Nobody in our squad knows who will play until laudrup says and that way the players train hard and work for each other...
Wow, when I created this thread I thought it would get 10 replies...... I think the end result is that there are no "squad" players or everyone has a different opinion of who the squad players are in the team they support. People mentioned Ayala and Butterfield but they we out on loan last season so how can they be classed as squad players for us? Answers on a post card.....
